In the past the majority of infant play mats have been designed to accommodate small or newborn infants. Such designs did not include any mechanism that would allow the height of a mat's support arches to be adjusted or increased as the infant grows in size. A height adjustment feature is desirable particularly for mat designs that include toys or objects that are attached to the support arches. These toys and objects hang above the infant as it rests or plays on the base portion of the mat. If the height of the support arches is not sufficiently high relative to the base portion of the mat some infants may able to pull the hanging toys down onto themselves. Therefore, the lack of height adjustability is a disadvantage in some mats with hanging toys and objects.
Another disadvantage of the previously designed mats is that they are typically quite bulky which makes portability difficult. The bulky design of such mats is a problem that is encountered by many parents that are very mobile and would like to be able to travel with the play mat. Often parents are forced to leave the play mat behind because the design makes it impracticable or difficult to transport from place to place.
Another disadvantage of some of the mats designed previously is that the method of assembly and disassembly is often complicated and time consuming. The additional time required to assemble and disassemble such mats usually detracts from the time and attention that would otherwise be spent on the infant.
Another disadvantage of some mats is that they are difficult to clean. Mats that are difficult to clean often will be discarded prematurely and therefore do not last as long as they could if they were easier to clean.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a mat that includes a mechanism that can be adjusted to accommodate the height and size of any infant that uses it. Also for the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a light weight play mat that can be folded in a compact manner so that it is easy to transport from place to place.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a play mat that is easy to assemble and disassemble. Also for the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a play mat that is durable and easy to wash.